The Spider's Web
by Mavican
Summary: Naraku/Kagome/All of his life, Naraku longed for Kikyo. After her death, he is willing to settle for, what he believes to be, the next best thing. He kidnaps Kagome and defiles her, and she ultimately learns that Spiders weave intricate webs.
1. Chapter 1

The Spider's Web, Chapter 1

Just as Kikyo, Kagome had no interest in him. Her heart was also taken by the half-breed Inuyasha however, unlike Kikyo, she didn't have the power to purify him.

She was perfect.

He'd live the life he always intended, mated to Kikyo, even if it was her reincarnation. The Sacred Jewel was complete and in his grasp. No one could stop him and he couldn't be destroyed, not by normal means. He'd have the girl, all of her, no matter the cost.

Naraku swore to himself.

Taking her was easy. He merely waited until the moment she came home. He knew of her frequent visits down the well that lead to another realm. He'd been stalking her for months, watching, waiting, simply trying to find the right opportunity. He had his chance when the demon slayer Sango sought Inuyasha and Miroku's aid in killing a particular demon. So far, it proved to be beyond the exterminator's control.

No matter, he couldn't waste such an opportunity. He waited nearly half a day, ensuring that their scents were no longer in the vicinity.

He'd slip in and out unnoticed, and the girl's disappearance would simply be unsolved, the way he preferred it.

"Oh, man..." Kagome's arms hugged one side of the wooden well as she moved to pull herself out. She was just arriving from a week's stay in her Era. It was time for a little break, she decided. So far, they weren't making any progress in collecting the Sacred Jewel, and she was weary from chasing demons all over the country side. Her friends agreed that it was time for a little break, and they too decided to take it easy, at least for a couple of days anyway.

Had she known who was waiting for her, Kagome wouldn't have dared to come back.

She looked just like Kikyo, even moved like Kikyo. His primal, crimson orbs observed her beyond the shadow of the trees. She was far more innocent than the dead priestess, virtually untouched by any man, so far as he could smell. He was drawn to her and he couldn't stop himself.

He was never able to.

Onigumo's heart still loved and yearned for Kikyo. It's each and every beat longed for her, so much so that the Spider couldn't ignore it. He had to fulfil his desires for her. It was the consequence of being bred of mortals and allowing demons to devour his soul. He was torn, torn between his demonic heritage and love.

Before he knew it, he was pacing for her, each movement calculated and mechanic. He wasn't himself when he was like this.

He damned his human heart, and the human bitch it was born from.

He hated his mortal blood.

The Sacred Shards. Kagome didn't realize it when she was exiting the well, but she sensed them, a lot of them. It only meant one thing.

Naraku.

He was around, somewhere.

She could feel it.

Her lips pursed before she took a glance over her shoulder.

In that moment, she found his towering form looming over her, his crimson eyes devouring her entire body as he gazed at her with a certain intensity.

Her blood froze in her veins.

Before she could even gasp, blackness covered her vision. Her entire body became limp, languid, and most of all, heavy. She couldn't even stand.

It was his miasma.

Naraku would have as he desired, one way or another, whether she bent to his will or not. She truly had no other choice. He carried her in his arms, pacing down one of the many outside halls that streaked his castle. He was prepared for her visit, far more prepared that she'd ever realize. Kidnapped villagers served him- keeping order of his castle. He had cooks, maids, guards, and slaves.

Every one of her needs would be met, alongside their child's.

Out of all of his incarnations, Kanna and Kagura remained alive. Kanna was the only one useful to him since Kagura spent her days chained in his dungeon-cellar. He couldn't trust her to keep her loyalty, and he planned to kill her, eventually, but he also enjoyed torturing her for her many betrayals.

It reminded him that he built an empire on his own and that he was to never trust anyone. Trust wasn't a luxury he could afford. Originally, his eyes were upon the Sacred Jewel, and it was easy to collect the fragmented pieces- almost too easy. Bu it wouldn't grant his one wish.

He merely wished for Kikyo to return to the world of the living and love him.

It was all that his damned heart wanted, all Onigumo's wretched soul wanted. But, the Jewel wouldn't grant that wish.

No. He was forced to obtain a version of Kikyo- obtaining her shell and not her soul, by stealing Kagome.

"Mmh…" A soft moan left Kagome's lips as she stirred. She felt as though she was being held under water, her reality faint and distant, her body numb, her vision fogged, and her ears ringing.

Abruptly, it all went away once the burning image of Naraku at the well entered her mind. She sat straight up, or at least tried to. Her hands were bound to something, bound by the purple obi Naraku usually wore. She recognized it anywhere.

She was in a quaint room, lying on her back, everything intact, as it seemed. She wasn't dead yet and she wasn't harmed at all. Her eyes darted frantically around the room, only to land on him, the Spider, seated next to her at the very edge of the bed. She withdrew quickly, glaring at him, her brows narrowed, "Where am I?!" All the while, she yanked and yanked at the silk fabric of the belt as she tried to free herself.

Naraku figured she'd be upset upon arriving. A dark smirk traced its way onto his handsome features. He spoke, his voice low, carrying with it the fact that he was the epitome if sinister, "…You even sound like her."

The more she struggled, the more tired she was getting, but she had to escape, she had to. She had had her share of being kidnapped, but she never ended up on anyone's bed- let alone Naraku's. Something wasn't right. This was wrong. She didn't want to be a part of whatever he was planning.

He was a cold-hearted, evil bastard. He pit lovers against one another, caused a boy to kill his entire family and clan, cursed an entire generation of monks to suffer the fate of the wind tunnel, and was the cause of the deaths of hundreds. He was the lowest of the low, born from lust and the desires of a mere bandit.

The Spider's clawed hand reached out, his palm resting on her shin. However, he soon traced every inch of her slender leg, doing so until his hand vanished underneath her skirt, "You even feel like her." It pleased him. He had done well, better than he could ever hope. Her skin was so warm- so pure…and his. She was his to have and do with as he wanted.

Kagome recoiled against the head of the bed almost violently, her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes were large, nearly the size of saucers, "Don't touch me!" She wasn't even sure what he was going on about, but as far as she was concerned, he was a total creep, nothing more. Her heart was beating in her chest so loud that she didn't even hear the sound of the bed creaking as he made his way on top of it.

What she hated most of all was the sinister and sick smirk on his face, like he knew of something that she didn't.

Like he was in on some sort of secret.

He was going to mate with her, plain and simple, since she had to bear his seed. It was the only way of ensuring that she fell in love with him. In his sick and twisted perception of things, only being pupped would soften her walls. She'd fall for him, in due time, once she realized just how willing he was to protect her and his seed, he was certain of it.

A sharp gasp left her lips once he closed the distance between them, one of his hands lifting to her face. The back of his fingers brushed over her cheek, but she shrugged him off, glaring heatedly, "I told you not to touc-!" Her words were immediately muffled by his hand around her throat.

A snarl ripped from his mouth, his lips peeling back to reveal every one of his fangs. He forced her down onto the bed, keeping his hand clasped around her windpipe as she began to sputter, jerking wildly against her restraints.

She couldn't breathe, and the world was blackening at the corners of her eyes. She felt like her heart was going to burst out of her ribcage. Fear engulfed her body, only enticing him further.

She felt like she was going to throw up.

The moment his grasp left her throat, it was replaced by the feeling of his lips against her own- hot and caressing as he filled and tasted her mouth.

She couldn't even catch her breath.

She bit down on the invasive tongue as hard as she could, and just as she wanted, he recoiled, hissing. Her relief was short lived. His fist slammed into the center of her face, hard, hard enough to stun her. The room began to spin all at once, tears finding their way down her cheeks.

She felt absent from her body.

He was kissing her again, but it barely registered. He bruised her lips, sucking and biting them until they were red and swollen. His aim lowered as he traced her jawline with subtle kisses.

Kagome shuddered, closing her eyes tightly, "Stop it!" She screamed, feeling him press his hips in between her thighs.

Her fear was so raw in the air, thick, and he relished every moment of it. He wanted to have her innocence. He wanted to taint it with his own malice until sweet calls of bliss left her soft lips. He wanted her body to betray her. He adored the thought of her heart and mind harboring hate for him while her body yearned for more of him.

It was the ultimate victory.

His tongue trailed down her collarbone, lapping almost tenderly at the flesh- doing so even as he guided one of the pink buds of her mounds into his mouth.

Soft sobs were on her lips, her chest tightening as she continued to struggle underneath him. Her desperate cries for stop were no more and were only breathes pleads of whispers. She couldn't stop him, she couldn't.

He bit her wherever his lips could reach, her breast, her navel, her abdomen- even the inside of her thighs.

Kagome couldn't help quivering, never once opening her eyes as she attempted to will this bad and terrible dream away.

"Give in to me…No one is coming for you." He whispered, his voice husky as his lips fell against her own again.

She was too afraid to bite him again. She'd never touch anyone like this before.

She and Inuyasha shared few kisses, and his boyish charm always made it easy, but this…Naraku…he was a man. An incredible heat radiated off of him as he suffocated her in his masculine scent. Her slender frame was surrounded by his much larger one. She could feel every muscle he had move underneath his skin.

She didn't even realize it, but the bonds holding her hands were severed. It was a little too late however. She was already completely naked underneath him, her thighs parted by his hips. Her nails dug into his back sinking in and clawing downwards as he continued to grant her pleasure by setting her skin ablaze.

She was far too weak to push him away.

She was submitting to him, he could see it. No matter how hard she was trying to resist, the new allure of his touches were getting to her. That, and the particular poisonous miasma he doused her with helped…loosen her up. She could beat the lust that was assaulting her senses with.

Abruptly, her scream filled the room. He buried his manhood deep into her walls, pressing until the girl's back was arched erotically off of the bed.

She felt absolutely exquisite- the way she quivered and clamped down around him, the way her pleads for him to stop slipped into the room.

He didn't want to miss a moment of it.

His fingers tangled in the black strands of her hair as he wrenched her head back.

Her sobs were growing then, all of them swallowed by sharp screams as he continued to move in and out of her. Blood filled the space between her thighs, staining the sheets. Her nails pressed into his arm, clawing and hitting at him, whatever she could do, but he simply pinned her arms down against the bed, forcing her to feel every inch of him.

Naraku growled, the sound resonating low in his chest. His head lowered, his tongue gathering each and every water droplet that slipped down her cheeks. In the heat of it all, he shushed her, nuzzling her cheek affectionately, almost as if he was assuring her that everything was going to be alright.

He could see her face contorting and twisting in pleasure, her body trembling with each thrust. Her belly pooled with heat, the feeling surging over her entire body, almost as if pressure was building. Her pants came to a halt, a soft and sweet moan exiting her lips, the sound followed by a sharp gasp. She reached her climax. She felt vulnerable all at once, tensing up until she fell into his arms limp and languid.

She couldn't describe the feeling she experienced, but her soft whimpers were only present, even as his breathing grew hitched. She felt his hot, sticky seed fill her cavern, almost as if he was marking her. He continued to press in and out of her quivering body, doing so until every bit of his seed filled her completely.

His deep, guttural groans filled her ears, yet he silenced the sound, soon sinking his teeth into the junction of her shoulder.

What little strength she had left was ripped from her as she fought to tear away from him with a screech.

The Spider apologetically lapped at the twin puncture wounds, doing so until she stilled in his grasp. He forced her against his chest, nuzzling his nose against the nape of her neck as he remained inside of her.

His first step was complete.


	2. Chapter 2

The Spider's Web, Chapter 2

"You did not take it as well as I'd hoped…" It had been mere minutes since he mated with here was still buried within her. His voice was laced with fatigue, low and husky, his arms nearly crushing her back against his chest. Kagome at least stopped sobbing though her entire face was streaked with tears. Naraku's hand slipped from around her waist and traced lower down her abdomen until his finger founds the small entrance he had just abused.

Her body stiffened completely against him, her trembling starting as she gasped loudly. Soon, another sob left her lips, but she didn't move. She didn't have enough strength to. Her fingers grew white as they clenched into the sheets around them.

"Sshh…" The spider's tongue ran over the shell of her ear in a soothing manner, but it did anything but soothe her, "Don't worry…I'm done, for now."

There was no response from her, even as he slid his hand from between her thighs. He nuzzled his nose into the back of her neck, inhaling the soothing scent that was once Kikyo's.

His plan was picking up effortlessly so…and what better way to mask the girl's scent than filling her with his seed. His castle always remained hidden, but as her mate, it was his obligation to protect and provide for her. The only miscalculation the Spider made was in how much she'd warm up. He could have her body all that he wanted, but it was her mind that he desired. He wanted her to love him and trust him, just as Onigumo loved and trusted Kikyo.

Though he slept, she did not. She simply cried. Naraku knew so because the smell of salt was the scent he bedded down and awakened to. When the sun's light began to peak through the window the following more, it awakened him- deep, boring pools of crimson irises opening. The girl was still in the same place, albeit she really didn't have a choice in the matter. His hold did not leave room for her to do much but lay as a rag doll.

A smirk touched him, his arms returning to his sides to only turn the girl over onto her back. At least she wasn't afraid this time around. If anything, she looked pissed. "You've slept well, I take it…" His voice trailed off, his mouth lowering to capture her lips in a gentle nip.

She did her best to squirm away from him, pushing against his chest as hard as she could. To her dismay, he didn't budge, nor did he even bat an eye.

"I should explain to you the rules of our game, shouldn't I?" He asked, shifting along the bed as he moved to stand.

Kagome scrambled to pull the sheets over her naked frame, as if it truly mattered. He had seen ALL of her already.

Naraku paced about, in search of his hakamas that were discarded the previous night. Once he found them, he began to put them on, his gaze returning to her, "…The rules are simple, do not resist me…I can make you cry out in pleasure….or pain. It is up to you.' He reached for her in an attempt to take her hand, but she scrambled to one side of the bed, her eyes wide as she gazed at him.

She was scared, scared shitless, but she had a right to be.

"You think that this is all a game you sick demented bastard!" She screeched, blinking rapidly to prevent more tears from csliding down her cheeks, "This is just…just a game to you?! I hate you! I hate you and I will always resent you, and I swear,, I swear on Kikyo's grave that I will kill you!"

That's right, she wasn't Kikyo.

Before he knew it, he had crossed the distance between them in a mere half second, and Kagome was struck down to the floor, landing on her stomach.

She wasn't moving, simply unconscious

He had backhanded her.

A soft growl filled his throat as he gazed at her blood that was smeared on him. She wasn't Kikyo no, she wasn't, but she was the best he had.

Xx

When she next wakened, she had a splitting headache, one that nearly blinded her. Her vision was somewhat blurred, but she didn't have to touch her face to that a large bruise ran up the side of her cheek and her forehead. It stung, it stung terribly, but as it seems, it was being tended to.

A hot wash cloth was gently placed over her head in an effort to sooth the pain, done so personally by Naraku. He realized exactly when Kagome awakened before her eyes grew wide, but she didn't move. She didn't move in an inch. She seemed to be even holding her breath, "…Do you understand what occurred last night?" He asked abruptly, his red eyes settling on her face.

Kagome swallowed hard, her eyes simply closing. Kami, this all had to be a bad dream. It all had to be a bad dream. This couldn't be real, it couldn't be. Her hands tightened into fabric of her kimono- a kimono that she did not remember putting on. Naraku must've dressed her, meaning that were no telling how long she was out for.

"You are carrying my seed." He merely said, and if their conception was not complete, he was going to try again and again until he yielded some results, "You are to be mine, mind and body, but you must not resist me.' He gently took hold of her chin, ignoring how she closed her eyes…and how more tears rolled down her face.

"Merely allow me to do as I wish to you. Behave yourself." The last words were spoken with a subtle smile, '…And eventually, you will begin to love me.' She had to. She had to begin loving him, the Spider mused.

Kagome did not waste her words. She simply curled up, turning over onto her side, and to her dismay, she felt the weight of the bed creek. He was getting in as well.

He was still as he was before, shirtless, his unruly hair pooling over his back and shoulders.

"N-Naraku I swear…" She hissed but stopped herself, knowing that she was in no position to threaten him. "P-Please, please…I wish to be alone for the night, please!" She didn't want to be raped by him, not again. She didn't want to be touched by him, but he did not stop. Larger tears bubbled into her vision was more as her brows furrowed, her large azure orbs vibrating out of their sockets as she peered up at him. He took her wrists and gently pinned them down to each side of the bed.

"You swear?" He chuckled then, a dark brow lifting, "Swear your allegiance and love to me…and only me….Tell me that you love me…" His words grew hushed, mere whispers over her trembling lips.

"Y-you're crazy…" Her voice wavered as she shook her head.

That wasn't' what he wanted to hear. His fingers took hold of the obi that held her robes together, immediately causing the woman beneath him to panic.

He was going to undress her.

"No!" She screamed out, her hands tangling around his own in order to stop him, but she wasn't strong enough, she wasn't.

"I'll make you say it…" The kimono she do desperately attempted to keep him from opening was ripped apart, revealing her bruised and naked frame underneath.

Bile nearly rose to her throat. She didn't want to give him what he wanted. She wouldn't utter a single word of it.

He was insane, purely insane.

Surely he knew that even Kikyo despised him before she died. Where was all of this coming from, the utter need to be loved? Onigumo's heart was still beating inside of Naraku, and as it seemed, the yearning from Kikyo had nearly driven him mad.


	3. Chapter 3

The Spider's Web, Chapter 3

"You still refuse to eat." That day Naraku had been _"out", _and left charge of his mate to Kanna and his many mortal servants. Despite his best wishes, the girl refused to eat for the last day or so, and it was beginning to show. Her cheeks had lost their usual rosy color, and her lips…her lips were so very pale. Dark circles had begun to form over her eyes, and her face was becoming gaunt.

He warned her of what was to happen if she did not eat, but even then as he had her splayed on her back, her legs parted wide with his manhood buried deep within the satin tightness of her walls, she was unresponsive, as if she was simply drowning it all out. The only way he could truly tell that she was nearest her climax was because of how her body trembled and shook, and how the softest of moans were wrenched from her.

Other than that, she was virtually silent, and the Spider figured then that perhaps she'd already become numb to his torture. It'd been days since he brought her home, and she was resisting him, albeit in her own subtle way.

Delicately, he trailed kisses up her spine, doing so until his lips melted into the delicate flesh of the back of her neck. His fingers guided up, running through the black strands of her hair, and as he expected, she didn't respond.

It was beginning to irk him greatly.

A growl sounded low in his chest as he forced her on her back, his clawed hand taking hold of her right wrist. Abruptly, he bent it in an awkward angle, immediately catching his mate's attention. She screamed, loudly, scrambling to get away from him, but the Spider held fast. A little more pressure, and the entire appendage would have snapped, but a part of him knew that she would give out before that.

Her screams grew to an all-time high the more pressure he added, the sounds growing desperate as she screeched "Okay!" Repeatedly, doing so until he let go of her arm. She was crying then- as she had always did. He allowed her to curl up on her side and he gazed at her. "…Are you willing to eat now?"

For a moment, he thought that he would actually have to break a limb of hers to get her to cooperate, but slowly, slowly she sat up. She was trembling severely, her unsteady and only unbruised hand fighting to put the kimono on. Fresh tears still stained her cheeks, but she allowed him to lead her to the dining hall.

Kagome didn't have an appetite for anything. She only wanted to vomit, but she knew only bile would rise. They were seated, Naraku adjacent to her as the servants rushed to feed her. They were human, just as she was- people swept up by his castle's winds. They were prisoners there, just as much as he was- knowing that if they strayed too far away from the castle, a deadly miasma waited for them. It was odd, but they always avoided her like a plague, and she didn't blame them. With Naraku's seed filling her each and every day, she was certain that she was considered a plague.

Only a few bites were necessary, she reminded herself. She just had to eat a little- maybe a bit rice to settle her stomach. She took a glance at him from the corners of her azure eyes, only to meet his twin, crimson orbs that were staring back. She nearly choked on her own breath before swallowing hard and facing the meal before her.

She eventually began to eat after staring at the food for the longest while. It was…good, thankfully, so she didn't have to work hard in choking it down. It didn't take her long to get full, but something told her it was best to finish the small bowl off- even if only to appease Naraku.

"Good..." She could feel his hand gently massaging her lower back, almost in a comforting manner, but it did nothing but set her on edge. She tensed underneath him, finding it difficult to keep the food she'd just consumed down.

"On the days that I am away…I expect you to eat. The child that will be within you cannot grow if you do not feed it…"

That was what set her off. Talk of _"their"_ baby. She quickly turned her head towards him, her azure orbs hardening in a glare. Her lips were beginning to press in a thin line. She wanted nothing to do with a child conceived by such evil filth.

Kagome knew that he would be smiling or smirking at her as he usually did when she was pissed. She could only take so much, and unfortunately, Naraku knew just what buttons to press to invoke _"some_" emotion out of her, even if it was just hate, "..I'm going to kill you. I swear by Kami I will kill you!- A-Ah!" She could not help the cry of pain that rose to her vocals as his clawed hand tangled in her hair, wrenching her head backwards. She tore at his face repeatedly, albiet only managing to deliver minor scratches.

"Here, you are no more than a mere mortal girl." Kagome was immune to is miasma and he was prone to her purifying powers. She was the perfect mate for him- if controlled. The mating mark ensured that she could not summon any powers against him. The priestess had been effectively nullified.

He stood in one a fluid motion, dragging Kagome with him. She was forced to stand, her nails digging into his wrist but to no avail. She was dragged through the halls, the servants falling on their faces in bows in droves as their lord and lady passed.

Asking them to help her was out of the question. She'd tried that once before on the third day of her captivity. They ignored her, almost as if she wasn't there…almost as if she wasn't screaming.

They were frightened of Naraku, and she knew why. The bastard had intentionally kidnapped them and their children. Their entire families were at stake for disobeying him. It kept them all in check. What mother or father would disobey their Master with the threat of their children being slaughtered as a consequence?

They were back in his bedroom and she expected to be thrown on the bed as she usually was. This time though, he sat on the bed and shoved her down to her knees. He never once released her hair.

The moment his hand went to undo his hakamas, Kagome's strength seemed to be renewed, and she began to hit and jerk away from him, and for a moment, Naraku figured that he'd finally driven her mad. Still, it wasn't enough for him to release her.

She hated this, he learned.

She really hated it, but the very sight of his thick, bulging cock resting between her supple lips was too much for him to resist.

Hot tears began to run down her cheeks, her actions becoming lethargic as fatigue began to set in. Naraku knew well that Kagome would tire herself out before he let go of her. As he'd become accustomed to, the sobs started, her entire body trembling with them as she went limp.

He was going to proceed, despite her sounds of protest, but…a desperate…_"please"_ hit his ears.

It was repeated, the words broken, stitched in between sobs as she tried to catch her breath, "I-I'll do anything you a-ask..I promise just n-not…" Slowly, she began to shake her head, "N-Not t-this…please…please."

Lazily, the Spider's brow elevated as he peered down at her. This…was undoubtedly a change. She'd been stubborn and resisted him since the day she arrived…but he was getting to her, or so he figured, "…Tell me that you love me." The vice grip he had on her head lessened as he gently combed through the black strands of her hair nearest her left ear.

Kagome's brows furrowed, the tears never ceasing. Her fingers curled in one of the legs of his hakamas as she swallowed hard. The small droplets from her eyes stained the same fabric she was grasping so tightly, doing so until her knuckles were stark white.

"I…I l-love you."


	4. Chapter 4

The Spider's Web, Chapter 5

The Night of the New Moon.

Even within the miasma filled haze of Naraku's castle, the moon's light was able to pierce the dark fog, blotting patterns of white hues right outside of Kagome's window. This time, it was completely pitch black out, no lunar light in sight. Somewhere, Inuyasha was enduring a hard night as a mortal, Kagome knew.

Being human was difficult for anyone that knew the raw power demons possessed, even though Inuyasha was only a half-demon.

So was Naraku.

Kagome had not seen him since the previous morning, and he was even moodier than usual. The Spider, she had come to find out, was relatively simple. He was pleased so long as he ate, mated, and his servants stayed out of his way. When she did as she was told and did not fight him, he treated her well, really well, relative to how cruel he could be.

Of course, he raped her on a daily basis, humiliated her, but she did not go without feeling pleasure- pleasure her body often times ached for when he was away. She guessed that this was an effect of the mating-mark he "blessed" her with. There was not a second that passed that was not filled with her desiring him, wanting him…yearning for him.

It was a strange dichotomy that she was certain was a cause of the pregnancy and the marking. She knew well that she hated him- detested him entirely, wanted him dead. However, her heart fluttered with lust at the sight of him. She wanted him, terribly and could feel herself ache with need.

A part of her hoped he returned soon, and the other part loathed the idea of such. The conflicting thoughts would keep her awake for hours upon hours as she slept in his arms.

However, the more she dwelled on Inuyasha and how his humanity overwhelmed him during the new moon, a similar effect had to have happened to Naraku. Usually, he informed her of when he'd leave the grounds…but this time was different. This time…he left, without a trace, and not a single one of the servants knew of his whereabouts.

It was…odd, but perhaps Naraku could not emerge…..maybe…just maybe he was incapable of returning to the upper levels of the castle.

Maybe his power also waned. The thought along filled her with renewed vigor at the prospect of escaping her current hellhole. But how, how would she? She spent hours upon hours locked in her room and only joined him in the dining area on occasion. The more she stood around analyzing the cons of the plan, the more she realized she was wasting time.

This was her opportunity to leave. If she missed it, she would have to wait least for another month or so. If she didn't act quickly, she'd lose her shot.

But the baby.

How would she return home to her friends knowing that Naraku's parasite was growing within her? Inuyasha would smell it before anyone. By no means was she prepared to be a parent, but it was the hand fate dealt her. It was wise to stay…wise to allow their…"child" to grow up around his or her…father, no matter how cruel or psycho he was. If push came to shove and no one was accepting of Naraku's heir, then that castle was the only "safe haven" for them.

Naraku had many enemies stemming from Sesshomaru to Sango's brother Kohaku. He'd hurt many people and destroyed so many lives. Giving birth to his child would have its own repercussions. She too would be attacked, and she was unsure of how willing her friends would be in aiding her when it came to protecting Naraku's child.

Then again Naraku was so unpredictable and malicious that he was capable of killing her and their child when it arrived. He was just that insane. He seemed serious about creating a "family" with her though, and would often times whisper sweet nothings about it as they both came down from their climaxes. It was his plan after all and his will to get her to conceive.

She didn't have time to think about the consequences. Before she knew it, her feet were padding down the deserted halls. Kagome could not tell what time it was, but it was passed midnight. Everyone was asleep and she was grateful. She didn't want of the villagers following her.

Never before had she venture this far into the castle. The long halls winded with no apparent end in sight. The miasma there was stronger, and it explained why the area was so deserted. The servants would not survive a second there. The more she walked, the harder it was to see just a few paces in front of her. She was forced to grab one of the lanterns hanging from the nearest walls.

Little by little, the light revealed more and more of the dark abyss that she was traveling, and Kagome prayed to Kami that this was the way out. It was too late to turn around and travel another route. The only sounds that accompanied her was the deep creaking of the floors as she moved. Other than that, it was silent, eerily so.

Abruptly, the hall ended, dramatically slumping downwards by a set of stairs. She held the lantern further out, and if it was even possible, she swore the area she was about to descend into far darker than the way she'd come.

The moment she lowered down the last step, the foul stench of death assaulted her nose. It was gag worthy, truly, and out of haste did she bring one of her sleeves up to cover her face. The stench even caused her eyes to burn. She blinked rapidly before forcing her eyes to remain open as she pushed on. She swore that she'd suffocate before she actually made it.

The crack of…bone under her heel alerted her that there were hordes of corpses and bodies where she was was grateful that the lantern in her hands threw such little light. She didn't want to know what the rest of the place looked like.

And then she sensed him…sensed Naraku, his aura faint but very much so there.

She stopped in her tracks.

Thus far, she could only hear her heart still pounding within her chest, feeling as though it would burst free of her rib-cage at any given second. She felt sick all of a sudden and did not know whether it was attributed to the dead, foul stench, or the thought of her "loving" mate.

But she had to press forward, just in case…just in case this proved to be the way out. Wherever Naraku was down there, with how weak his aura was, she was sure she would be able to slip passed him. The new room came to an abrupt end followed by a gaping opening that led to another room.

Kagome immediately regretted setting foot there.

Masses of pulsing flesh and blood lined the room- eyes, tentacles, slabs of skin, legs, the disfigured bodies of demons, and intestines. They all seemed to be connected to one central part…like an intricate web. It was Naraku's head- those crimson eyes glowing vibrantly in the dimness of the room.

She was too horrified to move. Her mind screamed for her legs to cooperate with her urge to run. This was Naraku's true form..it was…portions and parts of demons. He informed them before that on the night of the new moon, he configured his body as he wished- expelling the weak and implementing the strongest parts. It was the same reason his strength seemed to always grow exponentially.

Something wrapped about her ankle.

She couldn't glance down quickly enough to see what it is was, but it felt slimy, like an eel. The feel of it was the least of her worries.

The lantern was dropped as she was yanked from her feet, drug back into the dark mass that was her mate by the appendage.

She screamed.


End file.
